Bihar: On a day when senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad questioned the principles of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a JD(U) leader took to Facebook to explain how policies of the Grand Old Party made the JD(U) chief spend 19 months in jail at one point of time. Taking a jibe at Nitish’s decision to back BJP Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the July 17 poll, Azad on Tuesday said those who have one principle take one decision and those who have many take different decisions. JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, however, found Azad’s remark “not in good taste”, “unfriendly” and “unwarranted”.

In a Facebook Post, another JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha reminded Azad of the party’s past and its role in the Emergency. Here’s what he wrote in Hindi. “A few days earlier, India remembered that black chapter of Indian history in which Emergency was imposed. At that time, Nitish Kumar had completed electrical engineering course and got married. It was the time when it was difficult to get jobs after doing engineering. But during Emergency, an engineering pass youth (Nitish) had to stay in Buxar and Bhagalpur jails for 19 months for saving his principle and democratic values.

“A Congress leader (Azad) has given a statement on Nitish Kumar’s principles. This leader is the member of the same Congress Youth Brigade which was busy trampling democratic values and principles during Emergency. I would like to remind the senior Congress leader that Nitish Kumar had to spend 19 months in jail, along with lakhs of others across the country, because of the principles of the Congress and youth leaders like him.

Jha also took a dig on Congress for fielding Meira Kumar for the Presidential Election 2017.

“Today Congress has suddenly remembered Late Jagjivan Babu. They should not forget that how he was harassed in the name of Income Tax during Emergency. This was the reason why Jagjivan Ram had left Congress after Emergency,” Jha wrote.